Poor Knights Jans Tunnel
DESCRIPTION
Dive Site Review by Anna Clague
Photos by Andrew Simpson and Martin Wallis
This site is a little gem in the Poor Knights crown. A secret world inside the island awaits those who venture forth here.
At the south western corner of Aorangi Island is a pinched in cove where you can find good anchorage. This is the bay where you start the journey. Drop in on the left hand side of the bay and you will find a big gut underwater which is covered in encrusting coral and small gorgonian fans as well as curious pig fish who will adopt you whilst you check out these walls. Up inside this gut there is a bubble cave for those who wish to pop up in it. This is fairly shallow so do this either right at the start or at the very end of your dive.
Dropping down you will be led round by the wall on your left, towards an underwater finger of reef made from several very large boulders. You will round this and find a sand gully leading you back up the other side of this reef finger which will gradually shallow up. Eventually you will need to go up and over a narrow lip in the reef. This will then led you down a wide-ish corridor into the island. Overhead above the water line there is an archway which makes it feel like you are heading through a grand entryway. You could also snorkel into here as there is access to the surface the whole way in.
The corridor leads you into a round chamber which is approximately 5m deep and is big enough to house a couple of van sized boulders and a tree limb whilst still feeling roomy. You can surface in this chamber and the ceiling is gone. You are now staring up to the open sky which floods this area with light allowing trees to grow and wildlife to flourish. Once you have gotten your fill of being in this hidden world you can descend and head back out following the same route you took in.
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